Climate Action Programme Events

Climate Action Programme Events

As part of the Climate Action Programme, you are encouraged to launch an energy and waste saving drive in school to cut your CO2 emissions.

A good way to launch this is for the class who has taken part in the programme to put on an event for the whole school and parents.

This is a great way of getting the message across to a wide audience, and it can be a celebration of all that the class has learned, showing that environmental problems like climate change are not all doom and gloom, and we can all take positive action.

During the pilot stage of the Climate Action Programme, all the schools put on an event. Some included their climate action launch in existing events such as the Christmas fair, but the most popular method was to hold a special assembly to which parents were invited.

Some suggested assembly presentations include:

• Writing and performing an energy themed song or rap
• Performing the "greenhouse effect play" (see session two) with props and costumes
• Leading a session on global footprinting (see session six)
• Becoming "Renewable Energy Experts", and giving a PowerPoint presentation on the topic
• Inventing and running a recycling game
• Building a model energy efficient house
• Giving a presentation on the Climate Action Programme as a whole

You can use these task Instruction cards (225kb, doc)

Keep it up

To make the Climate Action Programme meaningful in the long term, it is highly recommended to back it up in a variety of ways. Some suggestions are to:

Sign up

The pilot schools in the Climate Action Programme produced Climate Action Scrolls, which pupils and staff were asked to sign at the end of the programme. The scrolls included the ten-point action plans developed during the programme. The scroll can be displayed prominently to remind everyone about cutting energy and waste. The class could also design posters and stickers for use around school.

Increase recycling

Harrogate Borough Council can collect waste "office" paper for recycling, free of charge.
Email: Recycling Customer Services  [recycling@harrogate.gov.uk] Phone: 0845 300 6091.

Start composting

North Yorkshire County Council can provide up to three free compost bins to schools that have had a talk on composting (a visit to the York Environment Centre fulfils this requirement). Email: NYCC Waste Management  [waste.management@northyorks.gov.uk] Phone: 01609 532512.

Keep an eye on energy

Careful monitoring of the school's energy use is important for several reasons.

• Firstly, it ensures that the school is paying the correct amount. Energy companies often rely on estimates, which can hide the actual energy use and result in the school paying too much.
• Secondly, it allows you to keep an eye on any sudden changes in consumption, which could indicate faulty appliances or energy waste.
• Thirdly, it allows you to see how well you are doing on saving energy. Has there been any change? If yes, then celebrate. If not, then try and work out why.

The person responsible for paying the bills could undertake the energy monitoring. All schools in North Yorkshire can use NYCC's online energy management tool. Every school in the county has been allocated a username and password which are available from the Energy Data Officer Phone 01609 535775.

Establish an Eco-committee

The Eco-committee idea is a big part of the national Eco-schools programme. A lot of the Climate Action Programme has links to Eco-schools, and on completion of the sessions you will find that the school is well on the way to achieving the Bronze Eco-school Award standard. The NYCC Schools Carbon Reduction Officer [email: emma.casson@norThyorks.gov.uk ] can offer further help and advice. Phone 01609 535661.

Recognise and reward

It is recognised that many schools can save 10% of their energy use by simply changing behaviour, for example by properly switching off unused equipment. One idea to emerge from the pilot stage of the Climate Action Programme was that if good energy reductions were made over the year, some of the saved money could be used on a treat for the class that took part in the Programme perhaps to help pay for a school trip.

You could also enter Harrogate Borough Council's environmental awards, held every two years to reward good environmental action. Visit www.harrogate.gov.uk/bafters .

Be ambitious

There are a lot of other ways you can make the school greener, starting a walking bus, improving the school grounds and even installing renewable energy. More information and links to relevant organisations are available on our links page.